So no reason to buy the over priced alternatives! Thanks for input I just wanted to be sure I didn't run something threw the gun that would be harmful. I don't want to hurt it when I have plenty of other modern shotgun options. I am just looking for some nostalgia being able to take some green heads with a real family relic! Will try and post some pics of each gun also have a early 70's model BAR not a shot gun I know but same design and have taken game with it it's a sharp shooting piece for sure!

Cobra7 wrote:Browning has always said NO. Real hunters will tell you YES just not out of a full choke barrel.

So is there another owner with about the same gun A5 with a **mod barrel with actual experience of running steel threw there's without issues? Also I appreciate everyone's input thus far has been helpful

They are incredibly reliable. They shoot muddy, wet, or frozen. Every few thousand rounds you need to replace a spring, and once every 5000 or so the trigger sear. Other then that just squirt em with a little WD-40 at the end of the hunt. I NEVER clean them inside, even after many thousands of duck and goose loads. Just hose them out with WD and sit them barrel down till the excess runs off so as not to weaken the wood.

You see a lot of A-5's on used gun racks for $400-$600. I've paid big dollars for a SBEII that sucked, and several over and unders just to have something lighter for quail and pheasants. But all I ever really shoot now is the A-5's. Part of that is growing up on them and getting used to the high receiver, i just shoot them better.

The new A-5's are A-5's in name only. They have a completely different operating system that is more like a Benelli or a Beretta then a real A-5.

Heres mine. Its a 1947 Light Twelve, it was my late grandfathers gun. Its got the older saftey, that slides through the front of the trigger guard, which I have really grown to like. I just love the feel and function of the old A5's. When I first started hunting my grandfathers old gun, I hated taking it out in the marsh, I was scared I would mess it up or something would happen to it. I saved and bought an all weather Stainless Ruger Red Lable. I coulnt hit anything with it. Put it up and started shooting the old A5 again. Where I use to be nervous about using my gradfathers old gun, it has now become something I truely enjoy, it really is special to me. I also like knocking birds down better then all the other guys I hunt with, shooting 2 3/4 shells out a 70 year old gun against there 3 1/2" $1500 dollor guns!

Added a new one to the stable. A really nice Belgium Light Twenty VR 28" Mod. Barrel. I've handled a ton of shotguns over the years and this one is by far the best handling gun I've ever felt. My first son was born this Halloween and I'm hoping to complete the Belgium set to hand down to him one day. I've got the 12's and Light 20. Now I gotta find the Mag 20 and Sweet 16. My billfold hurts just thinking about those two.... I also want to find him a Mag Stalker to put up for him. I want him to have a sure enough go to duck gun. He'll have my new model A5 too,but I just got to find that Mag Stalker. If he's anything like me he would grab that before the new one any dayHere's a partial pic of some of mine

Luvbowhuntn wrote: I've handled a ton of shotguns over the years and this one is by far the best handling gun I've ever felt. My first son was born this Halloween and I'm hoping to complete the Belgium set to hand down to him one day. I've got the 12's and Light 20. Now I gotta find the Mag 20 and Sweet 16. My billfold hurts just thinking about those two.... I also want to find him a Mag Stalker to put up for him. I want him to have a sure enough go to duck gun. He'll have my new model A5 too,but I just got to find that Mag Stalker.

Yor gona love it! I've had one for 10+ years and it is THE duck gun. Sometimes I switch with another in the stable, just so they don't get lonely, but if I had to have 1 gun there is no question that this is it.

Here are a few pic of my 69' Belgium Made Light Twelve, i currently hunt with a 26" Jap Made IC fixed choke for ducks and a 30" Fixed Belgium Made Full Choke Deer hunting. Gun has never been re-done in any form...

Old Guardsman wrote:Had a fine time hunting three cold, Blue Bird days on Currituck Sound early this week using my Browning Invector Auto-5 Magnum (shot limits from this blind on Monday and Tuesday). OG